Nexus 5 Battery issue?

[michty_me]

Over the weekend, I think I have developed an issue with my Nexus 5. I noticed on Saturday morning when trying to charge it, It was taking a very long time to charge. I left it charging for roughly 9hrs and it went to 60%. I left the phone to drain and plugged it in again at around 7pm last night and left it overnight until 7am this morning. It only charged to 70% in that 12 hours. I have tried different cables, Different wall sockets/plugs and charging from USB.

When I got to work, I pulled off the rear of the phone and disconnected the battery. I also cleaned up the mini USB connector inside the phone. I put it all back together and since plugging into USB about 1.5hrs ago it has gone from 70% up to 94% so there is certainly an improvement.

Obviously with me opening up the phone, I have voided the warranty. I've purchased a new battery and also a new socket membrane. Does this sound like a battery issue with it not taking a charge too well?

 

[srkmagnus]

It's hard to say. If it were battery only then everything you did would not have has an effect on the device charging better. Hopeful cleaning things up helped - keep us posted and let us know if the problem continues.

 

[B. Diddy]

When the phone is plugged into an AC wall outlet, check Settings>Battery. Does it say "Charging (AC)" or "Charging (USB)"?

 

[michty_me]

It seems a little better although only increased 20% in approx an hour of charging. Strangely, After tinkering about with it yesterday, After a full day it was only down to 69%. I plugged it back in at 10% and its now sitting at 30% so certainly an improvement. It shows Charging (AC) and always has done.
In the past I've had a few issues of rapid discharging but always put it down to a rogue app. I've seen it go from 95% to off in the space of 6hrs sitting on my bedside.

 

[B. Diddy]

Do you have any live wallpapers installed? I've found a few that seemed to cause some significant overnight drain on my Nexus 7.

 

[michty_me]

Nope. Just the standard Nexus 5 background. I haven't changed any settings. Can I see what apps have updated most recently and when? I may try re-installing the ones I done on Friday night (If any) as it was Saturday my issues began.
Last nights charge wasn't too much better. I got up after being on charge for 7hrs+ and it was sitting at 79%. I found my Belkin wall socket so plugged my Nexus cable into that whilst I went for a shower. There is a sharp rise in battery power compared to a slow steady increase so I will try this tonight/tomorrow once I drain the battery enough. I have a new battery now and also the micro USB part so if that does not work, I'll be fitting them and hoping for the best.

I was lying in bed wondering if it could be the charge port at fault as I've seen other brands go a bit funny after time due to corrosion of the contacts which result in poor charging or rapid draining of the battery.

 

[B. Diddy]

I don't really know about the corrosion issue, although that would seem to make sense.

It might help to see some battery stats. Charge up to 100% (if possible), then let it drain to 20-30% with normal usage, without charging in between. Then show us:

1. The main Settings>Battery screen.
2. The fullscreen battery graph screen (which shows Awake time and Cell Signal Strength).
3. The Screen category (to see total Screen On time).
4. The Cell Standby category, if present (to see Time Without Signal).

 

[michty_me]

Not a problem. Easy enough for me to get that for you. Here is a brief screen grab from when I disconnected the standard LG charger that came with the phone and plugged in the Belkin 2.1A charger. I understand charging appears to slow down as it goes through the cycle but I didn't expect the sharp incline in the charge.

 

[michty_me]

Last night I placed my phone on charge at 33%. When I was leaving for work I removed from the charger and it was showing 61%. I got fed up and replaced the battery which took maybe 10 minutes (Including doing the GPS fix while I was in there).
The phone powered up showing 29% with the new battery. It has been on charge for 35 mins and is now showing 63% and still going. Same wall socket and cable.
What is the best way to get maximum battery efficiency when new? Do a couple of 100%-0% cycles?

 

[michty_me]

I've just read this on another website:
To condition a new Li-ion battery, fully charge it; it should be allowed to charge for 7-8 hours on the first, initial charge. In other words, when you get your new cell phone – and it has a Li-ion battery – allow it to charge for 7-8 hours even if the cell phone claims to be fully charged. (It is preferable to use outlet charger vs car charger or USB charging via computer because of the voltage difference.) After that, there is no reconditioning necessary for Li-ion batteries since they don’t suffer from the “memory effect”. However, be sure to avoid fully draining/discharging the Li-ion battery as much as possible; every time a Li-ion battery is fully discharged, it loses battery power and life. (That doesn’t mean your battery will die if it is ever fully discharged; it means it is best to avoid fully discharging when possible.) Try to recharge Li-ion batteries when they are at 15-25%.


Here is a picture of the two batteries side by side. Did LG/Nexus change the manufacturer at a later date?

I can't find any info on the Sony one but find a few things on the Samsung part number.

 

[B. Diddy]

Sorry, I'm not really sure what's going on. My guess is that it's not a battery issue, but something to do with the charging circuits in the phone. But I wouldn't know what to do next. Hopefully someone else can shed more light. Good luck!

 

[michty_me]

Sorry, I'm not really sure what's going on. My guess is that it's not a battery issue, but something to do with the charging circuits in the phone. But I wouldn't know what to do next. Hopefully someone else can shed more light. Good luck!

SInce I replaced the battery this morning and given it a charge (Twice) both times it is operating as normal and charging very fast again. It appears the battery was to blame. I'll monitor for a few days and report back.